Cannot run Eclipse; JVM terminated. Exit code=13

Question

I just append -vm C:\\Program Files\\Java\\jre6\\bin\\javaw.exe

in ec

Answer 1

Look at the second line of the message box. There you can see which java runtime in fact is started. Mine was suddenly C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath\javaw.exe. This happened after I have installed a "chrome java updater" (Chrome browser moaned: 'your java is outdated, you have to update...').

Before this "chrome java update" my eclipse (luna jee x64) started without error. Looking closer to the background I detected following: the chrome java updater (notabene started from an Oracle site) added C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath in front of the env var PATH. It contains three symbolic links to the newest java 8 JRE installation in (x86) program folder -> hence to a 32 bit java JRE. Oracle replaces with Java8 the old technique having the symlinks in system32 (64bit) resp. SysWOW64 (32bit).

Meanwhile I learned. Whatever java installer you have executed last (the *.exe) leads windows to remember that java flavour (32b or 64b), with the result that after an update the links in C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath point to a java installation of the remembered flavour. If you have a 64b eclipse installation and encounter the described error: just re-install the newest 64b JDK. After that the java updates do no more link to a 32b version. And eclipse 64b will start correctly without the entry in eclipse.ini .